‘That’s why they are in a mess’: PCB slammed for ‘ridiculous decision’ to send 7 players back home
Pakistan Cricket Board Faces Backlash After Sweeping Squad Overhaul Mid-Series in England
Bharatmorningnews.com – The Pakistan Cricket Board has drawn sharp criticism after pulling seven players from its touring squad in England and shipping them home mid-series, a move that former national coach Mickey Arthur called "absolutely ridiculous." The decision came after Pakistan's dismal showing in the first two Tests of a three-match contest against England, where neither fixture reached its scheduled fifth day. The squad, captained by Babar Azam, had already lost the opening Test by an innings and 103 runs before falling by 194 runs at Lord's in the second match.
The PCB confirmed on Monday that the seven dismissed players would be replaced by fresh names before the Birmingham Test. Alongside the players, Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also ordered to depart England. White-ball coach Mike Hesson will now assume day-to-day leadership of the touring unit for the remainder of the series.
Arthur's Public Rebuke
Mickey Arthur, who previously held coaching roles with the Pakistan men's team, used his social media platform on Tuesday to deliver a pointed critique of the board's management philosophy. His post on X (formerly Twitter) went beyond a single decision and attacked what he sees as a chronic pattern of instability at the top of Pakistan cricket administration.
"Absolutely ridiculous decisions by the PCB — this is the reason they are in the mess they are, because they constantly chop and change players, coaches and selectors, and there is no stability! Planning, stability and structure = Consistent performance."
Arthur's remarks land with particular force given his own history with the national setup. Having coached Pakistan at senior level, his familiarity with the internal dynamics of the team makes his external commentary harder for the board to dismiss as outsider noise. The broader implication of his critique is that the PCB's approach to squad management — frequent rotations of selectors, coaches, and playing personnel — has created a culture where no group of players gets the continuity needed to build trust and tactical cohesion.
Who Was Sent Home and Who Replaces Them
The seven players recalled from England are Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad. Rizwan, Pakistan's regular wicket-keeper and opening batter in limited-overs formats, had been a consistent fixture in the Test setup, making his mid-series removal especially conspicuous.
The board named seven replacements, of whom five have no prior Test cap and two carry limited international experience at the longest format. Among the capped arrivals, batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have played eight and two Tests respectively. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas, who has represented Pakistan in three ODIs and four T20Is, also features in the new group.
The updated squad for the Birmingham Test now reads: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, and Ubaid Shah.
Performance Context and WTC Fallout
The decision to overhaul the squad so aggressively was driven by results that left little room for patience. Pakistan's first Test in the series ended on day four with an innings-and-103-run defeat, while the Lord's contest concluded with a 194-run margin in England's favour. In a three-match series where the hosts were never expected to be overwhelmed, the absence of any competitive contest — no Test stretching to its final session — underscored a gap in both skill and competitive temperament.
The wider ramifications extend beyond this single series. Pakistan currently occupies the bottom position in the World Test Championship standings, a table that determines qualification for the WTC Final. Every point conceded in these England fixtures deepens the gap to the top of the table and narrows the window for any meaningful challenge in the remaining fixtures of the cycle.
A Pattern of Turbulence
The mid-series recall of seven players plus two coaching staff is not an isolated incident in Pakistan cricket's recent history. The board has repeatedly reshuffled playing groups and technical staff during active series, often citing performance thresholds that critics argue are applied inconsistently. Arthur's complaint about the absence of "planning, stability and structure" echoes a long-standing grievance among former players and coaches who believe the administrative churn prevents any squad from developing the tactical depth required at the highest level.
For the players now arriving in Birmingham, the pressure of walking into a Test where their predecessors were dismissed within days of arrival will be considerable. Five of them have never played a Test match before. The question facing Mike Hesson, now steering the unit without the Test-specific expertise of Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, is whether a wholesale personnel change can inject the fight and competitive edge that was conspicuously absent across four days of cricket in England — or whether it simply resets the clock on a squad that never had the time to gel in the first place.
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